In a conventional process of producing wearable articles such as disposable diapers that include an absorber capable of absorbing liquid, the absorber, i.e. an object of transportation, is transported and joined onto a surface of a sheet constituting a waist section of the wearable article.
A device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 is known as an example of the device for transporting the absorber to the sheet surface, for example.
Specifically, the device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 includes a first roller for holding an absorber on a circumferential surface thereof, a second roller (roller mechanism) for guiding a sheet (third web) in a horizontal direction, and a third roller (rotary drum) rotatable about a predetermined axis for receiving the absorber from the first roller at a predetermined receiving position, and delivering the absorber to the sheet being guided by the second roller at a predetermined delivery position. The third roller includes a holding pad (suction pad) for holding the absorber, and a turning mechanism for turning the holding pad through 90 degrees in the course of movement from the receiving position to the delivery position.
The holding pad of the device disclosed in Patent Literature 1 has such a shape that an outer surface thereof bulges outward in a radial direction of the third roller. This makes it possible to bring the outer surface of the holding pad into close contact with the absorber held on the circumferential surface of the first roller at the receiving position and bring the absorber held on the outer surface of the holding pad into close contact with the sheet at the delivery position.